A Not So Special Bond
by Em Pataki
Summary: Helga is forced to watch movies in school about the importance of being close with your family. This new activity isn't mixing well with the frustration she feels for her older sibling however. Rated T for mild romance scenes.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Movie Time

It was nearing the end of their sixth grade year and Arnold and Helga were drawing closer to each other with each date they went on. Helga was learning to open up around Arnold, while he was learning to accept her aggressive behavior she showed every now and then.

"Well, I'm glad you came over for dinner tonight." Arnold said, as he was dropping off his girlfriend at her home.

"Thanks. Beats spending time listening to Olga brag about whatever new teaching award she won while watching Bob and Miriam worshipping her for it." Helga scoffed as Arnold held her hand, watching the annoyed look on her face. He knew how unwelcome she felt in her own home, which brought just as much pain to his heart as it did hers now that they were dating.

"Well, if you ever need to talk I'm here." he offered, rubbing her hand with his thumb.

Helga began to blush, as she listened to his offer. She didn't like the idea of accepting help from people no matter how close she was to them. All it did was make her feel weak. If people had to know her family didn't want her around, she wasn't going to let them know that it bothered her.

"Thanks, but I think I'll survive." she smirked.

"Okay, have a good night. I'll see you at school tomorrow." Arnold replied, pulling her in for a kiss. As the two held each other, Helga thought about how lost she would be if she had never had someone this wonderful to not only fantasize about, but bring her hope. Someone to prove to her that life was worth living, and that there was a light at the end of her life's dark tunnel, no matter how far away it seemed.

While the two held each other in their arms, never wanting the moment to end, they heard "Baby sister!"

Arnold immediately stepped away from his girlfriend, while she rolled her eyes at the thought of her special moment being ruined. "Crimity!"

"Would you like to come in and celebrate my award for teacher of the year, Arnold? I've baked a yummy chocolate cake!" Olga offered.

Arnold looked over at Helga's frustrated face. The last thing she wanted was to spend any unnecessary time with her family.

"That's okay Olga. I need to get home." Arnold said, rubbing his neck.

"Well okay then. Come in baby sister!" Olga exclaimed, while Helga angrily marched past her.

Arnold saw the irritated look on Helga's face as she walked inside. Had Olga not mentioned the award, Arnold wouldn't have seen what the problem was. Helga didn't appear unwanted. The fact that Olga couldn't be around without mentioning her success wasn't any better than Bob and Miriam flat out ignoring Helga's existence however.

Once Arnold had left and Olga shut the door, she looked at Helga marching up the stairs. "Baby sister, won't you join us in the kitchen? I'm getting ready to tell mommy and daddy about all the wonderful things I taught my students this year!"

Helga clenched her fists tightly as she replied "Pttss...yeah, no thanks."

After making it to her room, she fell onto her back on her bed with her arms spread across it. "Crimity! Why does she have to do that? Every time I get a special moment with Arnold, she interrupts it by filling him in on all her lame accomplishments! Have I not suffered enough?"

Helga then pulled her treasured item out of her shirt, knowing a moment with it was something she would never have to worry about losing. It would always be there for her, despite how many times she had been interrupted while pouring her heart out to it.

" _Oh Arnold! Fate has brought us together only to once again be torn apart by the harsh brutalities we must face in this world. Why can't we…._

"Helga!" a voice screeched, interrupting her happy thoughts.

"What!" Helga scowled, tucking her locket away.

"Do you want to watch a movie called 'Successful Siblings' with us?" Olga asked eagerly, while Helga smacked her face. She didn't know how much more of this she could take.

"When geese fly out of my nose!"

"Okay. Good night baby sister!" Olga screeched, while Helga laid there staring at the ceiling. Not all people were as patient as Arnold. Perhaps it was because he didn't know what the frustration of having siblings could be like. Either way, Helga had about reached the end of her rope.

The next morning, Helga awoke an hour earlier than she had set her alarm for. A loud knock came to her door, as she listened to "Baby sister! I've made some yummy waffles when you're ready to come downstairs for breakfast!"

Helga began to rub the sleep out of her eyes, thinking to herself _Crimity! Who in the right mind is this perky this early?!_

She wondered how pointless it would be to lay her head back down. Olga would just come up with another pointless reason to cause a migraine for her.

After rubbing the remainder of the sleep out of her eyes, she sat up to get dressed and ready for school. As she marched downstairs for breakfast, she saw her parents sitting at the table.

"These waffles are great Olga! I'm going to have to put another notch in my big white belt!" Bob said happily.

"I'm so glad you like them daddy! Baby sister! Come eat with us!" Olga exclaimed, while Helga angrily pulled up a chair.

As Olga placed a plate of waffles in front of her younger sister, Helga didn't care to take notice of how good they tasted. She was too concerned about getting out of the house and away from her annoying sibling as quickly as possible.

"This coffee is great honey! When did you wake up?" Miriam asked, impressed by her oldest daughter's performance.

"Oh hours ago." Olga admitted, while Helga rolled her eyes at her sister's modesty "No surprises there."

After Helga anxiously finished her meal, she didn't care how much time she had left to spare before school started. Rather than using the extra time to make herself a lunch (knowing her mother wouldn't think of doing such a thoughtful gesture), she raced out of the house.

Helga had a little over an hour left to spare before being late to school; more than enough time to walk without being late.

Normally she and Arnold would meet at the bus stop and ride together. Her annoying sibling had pushed her to the point where she could care less about the decisions she made that day however. Her family didn't care about her; why should she care what anyone else thought of her?

Not long after Helga had started her walk, Arnold was eating breakfast in the kitchen.

"Mornin' shortman! Whatcha got planned for today?" Phil asked, as Pookey placed a plate of pancakes in front of Arnold.

"I don't know? Helga seemed pretty upset when Olga interrupted us saying goodbye to each other last night. Hopefully she's in a better mood."

"Ooohhh...someone interrupting your special moment. Bet that did make her cranky! Hehe!" Phil laughed, bumping his grandson.

Arnold rolled his eyes as he replied "Everything her sister does upsets her. They don't get along too well."

"Of course not! Siblings hate each other! Your great aunt Mitzi was always stealing my toys, ripping my clothes, pushing me in the street when cars were coming! She was like a second Gerti!" Phil exclaimed.

"What about Pooter? You two seemed to get along when you had him." Arnold reminded Phil.

"Yeah, but it was the dog we liked, not each other. Hehe." Phil pointed out, while Arnold rolled his eyes, leaving the table.

"Thanks grandpa."

"See ya shortman!"

Ten minutes after leaving the house, Arnold saw Gerald and Phoebe waiting at the bus stop.

"Hey Arnold!" Gerald said, happy to see his best friend.

"Hey guys. Where's Helga?"

"I'm afraid we haven't seen her." Phoebe informed him, as a troubled look came to his face.

"I just saw her last night and she was fine?" Arnold replied worriedly as Gerald shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm sure she's fine. If not, there's plenty of other girls out there." Gerald said wittingly while a worried look remained on Arnold's face.

The bus then pulled up, as the three of them got on it. While Gerald and Phoebe anxiously headed for the back holding hands, Arnold sadly dragged his feet, wondering what could have happened to his girlfriend.

Meanwhile, Helga had just made it to the school. Rather than going inside, she sat sadly on the steps, thinking about the fact that the highlight of her day would be lunch time, when she wouldn't even have a lunch to eat.

A deep sigh released from her, while she sat staring at the sidewalk with her face planted in her hands and her elbows propped on her knees. As she was about to get up, she heard "Helga!"

"Huh?" she asked, lifting her head.

There she saw her boyfriend standing in front of her, relieved to know she was okay.

"Helga, why weren't you on the bus this morning?" Arnold wanted to know.

"Because you know who woke me up at 5 am, and I wasn't going to wait around listening to her brag about her stupid accomplishments any longer than I had to." Helga scoffed, glaring at her boyfriend.

Arnold held out a hand to help her up as he replied "I'm sorry you don't get along well with her Helga. I'm always here for you though."

Helga smiled weakly while feeling her boyfriend rub her hand. It wasn't easy to admit, but having someone to comfort her in these depressing times meant the world to her.

"Thanks." she sighed.

The two walked into the school together holding hands. Arnold was happy to know she was okay, while Helga couldn't take her mind off how much longer this annoying sibling act was going to last.

As they entered the classroom, they saw their two best friends already waiting for them. "Good morning Helga. I'm glad to know everything is alright with you." Phoebe smiled, while Helga gave her friend a look that implied otherwise.

Before Phoebe could ask any further questions, the bell rang.

"Hello class, today's going to be a very special day!" Mr. Simmons assured them.

"Because it's almost summer time?" Sid guessed, interrupting the teacher.

"Because we get to eat during class?!" Harold exclaimed.

"No, because we're going to be spending this week watching documentaries on the importance of family; mainly the bond between you and your siblings!" Mr. Simmons said excitedly while Helga's eyes widened in disbelief.

 _Crimity! You have GOT to be kidding me!_

Arnold knew the angry thoughts that must be going through Helga's mind at that moment. Although he'd never had a sibling, Helga had done more than enough to imply not all family relationships were as stable as Mr. Simmons was making them out to be.

"Our first movie this week will be 'The Kids Are All Right.' It contains a very special message, which is 'no matter how bad life gets, your siblings are always right there beside you.' Isn't that wonderful?!" Mr. Simmons explained as the class gave unamused stares.

"I feel it would all depend on how great their sense of style was. If they didn't know anything about it, I think they would be more trouble than they were worth." Rhonda replied.

"I reckon I don't know too much about how big families work. Do your parents like one more than the other?" Stinky asked, while Helga sat there sulking…

 _You have no idea!_

"Alright, settle down class. I'm going to put the movie in. Just remember how special a sibling is and how lucky you are if you have one." Mr. Simmons reminded them, placing the tape in, while Helga clenched her pencil tightly inside her fists.

As the movie went on and Arnold saw each scene that reminded him of how tough Helga's life was, he heard her viciously tapping her pencil against the desk.

Helga sat there, picturing herself strangling Olga to pieces, when she saw Arnold slipping a note back towards her.

 _Are you okay?_

Helga rolled her eyes at the question. They were sitting there doing the worst thing she could possibly imagine after the past couple of days she'd had. What made him think she was okay? She knew there was know point in lashing out at him however when there was nothing he could do about it. He would never understand the pain she felt when he didn't have a similar relationship to compare to hers.

 _Yeah, I'm fine._

Once class ended, Mr. Simmons removed the tape and asked "Wasn't that wonderful boys and girls? Life can be full of tough situations, but one of the few people you always know you can count on is your sibling."

As Helga listened to these words, she sat there and thought to herself _Not unless your sibling is the CAUSE of your tough times...sheesh!_

Lunch finally came around and Arnold was more than anxious to turn around and check on Helga. "Are you alright? I know that wasn't exactly how you were hoping to spend the morning."

"Pttss...you mean by watching a film that insists the one person who will always be there for me just happens to be the same person who can't go a day without finding a way to outdo me?" she scoffed, leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed.

"Uhh yeah. Let's get some lunch." he insisted, helping her out of her seat.

"Can't. Miriam didn't make me one and I wasn't going to stick around any longer than I had to this morning to make it myself." she explained, walking towards the cafeteria with him.

"I'll buy you something." he smiled, holding her hand into the cafeteria.

"You don't have to do that." she sighed, again not wanting anyone to feel sorry for her.

"I want to. I don't like seeing you without anything to eat. Plus, you've had a hard morning." he reminded her.

Helga smiled as the two entered the cafeteria to take a seat with their two best friends.

"Hey Arnold! What'd you think of that movie?" Gerald asked, while Arnold watched Helga roll her eyes.

"It was uhh interesting. I'm going to get Helga and I some food. Be right back." he insisted, while the three of them waited for him to return.

While Gerald dove into his sandwich, Phoebe couldn't help but notice the troubled look on her best friend's face. "Are you alright Helga? You seem a bit disconsolate."

"No, I'm okay." Helga sighed, wondering what the rest of the week would be like. She knew she would never share the special bond with Olga that Mr. Simmons seemed to believe all siblings were capable of possessing. The fact that her parents didn't appreciate her didn't exactly help encourage Olga to be more supportive of Helga's feelings.

When Arnold returned with the food, he placed the tray in front of Helga. "Here you go. I got you an extra tapioca pudding." he smiled, handing her the desserts.

"What are you, her brother?" Gerald asked wittingly, while Arnold rolled his eyes at the joke.

Helga leaned back in her seat with the pudding, trying to forget about the drama that had taken place that day.

When lunch ended, the students all went back to class and Arnold tried to think of something special he could do for Helga. Each sad step she took showed him how painful her neglecting home life was, no matter how tough of an act she was willing to put on for other people.

Once everyone had made it back into the classroom, Arnold sat down in his seat. Rather than facing forward, he glanced back to see Helga doodling in her notebook. She wasn't busy drawing pictures of her beloved this time however. There she sat stabbing pictures of drawings she had made of her sister.

Arnold shook his head, knowing this wasn't going to be an easy problem to solve.

When the bell for the last class came, Arnold turned and asked Helga "Would you like to come over to my place for awhile? It'll keep you from having to see your sister."

"Sounds good to me." Helga replied anxiously, grabbing her things from her desk.

Making it outside the school, Arnold watched the depressing look Helga carried as she stared at the sidewalk. Finally, he spoke "I know I don't know much about siblings and the relationships they share with each other, but Olga does love you Helga. Your parents do too. They just do a lousy job of showing it, which is wrong of them. Just try to remember they do care about you."

Normally Arnold's words and the touch of his hand would bring a smile to her face. This time however, an evil glare formed as she scowled "What do you know football head?! When's the last time you ever heard me mention them showing in any way that they care about me? They don't make me lunch, they don't talk to me, heck they can't even remember my name! Half the time, they call me Olga! She and I don't have a special bond! I'm just something they have to compare her to; to remind them of how great she is!"

"Helga, that's a terrible thing to say!" Arnold's eyes grew in amazement at the thought of her actually thinking her family thought that badly of her.

"Well the truth hurts football head! You can't always win in real life!" Helga scowled, marching ahead as Arnold stood still a moment. He thought back to the week he and his best friend were trying to think of a plan to save the neighborhood. As they sat in the arcade, Arnold listened to Gerald say... _This is real life, and in real life, you can't always win!_

Was it pointless for him to try to convince Helga her family cared about her? He could believe they did if he wanted to, but that didn't make it true. Even if they did care about her, what good did it do if they weren't willing to show it?

When the two of them made it to Arnold's house, he opened the door as Helga stood sadly with her arms crossed, watching the line of pets pour past.

As the two of them entered the house, Arnold heard Phil say "That you shortman?"

"Hey grandpa." Arnold said, walking into the kitchen with his girlfriend.

"I see your girlfriend didn't want to spend quality time with her sister." Phil winked as Helga began clenching her fists.

"Yeah, we're going to be upstairs if you need us."

"See ya shortman!"

Helga took a seat on Arnold's bed after entering the room. Laying with her arms spread across it and her feet hanging over the edge, she stared through the glass ceiling, wondering if anyone would care if she ever went home.

As she laid there sulking, Arnold came over to sit beside her. Holding her hand in his, he said "I'm sorry I'll never be able to understand what you're going through. I am always here if you need me though."

Helga sat up looking into his sad emerald eyes. He was beginning to seem more troubled than she was. Just the fact that he cared so much about her was beginning to fill the void in her heart caused by her unappreciative family.

She pulled him in tightly to kiss him, firmly pressing her lips against his. As she felt the warmth of his arms wrapped around her, she was beginning to care less about the pain caused by her family. Arnold listened to her moan as he began to wrap his tongue around hers. Falling on top of her, the idea of the little care her family showed for her her entire life made him begin to show the aggressive behavior she normally would through their intimate activities.

She laid there with him on top of her, feeling him firmly rub their parts together, as he placed his hand behind her head to pull her in closer.

 _I can't believe they would treat someone so amazing with such little care_ Arnold thought to himself, while Helga laid there thinking _My life would have no meaning whatsoever if I didn't have him._

When they barely released their lips, keeping their noses together, Arnold said "I'm sorry you're going through this. No one our age should have to. My feelings for you will never change."

Her heart began to flutter as he softly kissed her again. The two laid there in each other's arms until they were awaken by a knock on the door. "Shortman, dinner's ready!" Phil exclaimed.

Helga's eyes fluttered open as Arnold sat up to stretch. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" he asked, while watching her rub the sleep out of her eyes.

Helga once again didn't like the charitable act being tossed her way. Then again, he was her boyfriend. It didn't matter what type of issues she was having with her family.

"Sure, thanks." she sighed, as he lightly kissed her.

They went downstairs together to see the family had set out spaghetti for dinner.

"Hey there shortman! Didn't want to eat with your older sister huh?" Phil winked, as he glanced over at Helga.

"Grandpa…" Arnold sighed as Helga took a seat, rolling her eyes.

"Oh lighten up shortman. Like I said, nobody likes their siblings!" Phil insisted.

Arnold's parents then entered the room carrying a plate of dinner rolls.

"Hello sweetie! We're so happy you could join us." Stella said, taking a seat beside her.

A weak smile formed on Helga's face as Phil butted in.

"She didn't want to be around her annoying sister. After all the stories shortman here has told me about her, I would think it would be the other way around." Phil said, pointing to Helga.

"Grandpa!" Arnold exclaimed as Helga laid her head in her hand, propping it against the table.

Once dinner was over, Arnold turned to Helga and said "I guess we should get you home. I'll walk you."

Helga sighed at the thought of seeing her family. If it meant going to sleep and pretending she didn't have one however, she was willing to go through with it.

The two of them walked down the street hand in hand, glancing up at the stars. When they made it to her front porch, Arnold turned to her and said "I'll see you at school tomorrow. Just remember I love you and try not to let her bother you."

Helga did her best not to cry while she felt her eyes begin to water. Arnold kissed her passionately as he held her face in his hands, wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"Have a good night." he whispered.

"See ya football head."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: What Do You Know?

The next morning Helga awoke to the sound of her alarm clock, rather than her screaming sister. She sat up to stretch, sitting on her bed, thinking about the emotional support Arnold had given her the previous day to make up for the void between her and her family.

After getting dressed and ready, Helga was surprised to find she hadn't been bombarded by her sister's screaming antics.

As she made it to the kitchen, she pulled out a bowl to pour herself some cereal into. A moment after sitting at the counter enjoying a quiet meal, she heard the front door opening.

 _Oh crimity!_

Helga thought to herself, knowing who it must be.

Olga walked in carrying two grocery bags filled with food she needed to make her famous lemon souffle for later that night.

"Morning baby sister! How did you sleep?!" Olga screeched, as she placed the groceries on the counter.

"Just peachy." Helga mumbled to herself.

"I was sad you didn't join us for dinner last night! Will you be here tonight? I'm baking my famous lemon souffle!"

"Everything's famous if you make it, is it not?" Helga replied, knowing her sister wouldn't catch the sarcasm.

"Perhaps we could do something special tonight. Oh, you could help me bake!" Olga exclaimed while seeing Helga roll her eyes.

"I don't think so."

"Why not? What's wrong? If you're afraid you won't do a good job, I can help you! I won a cooking award for many improvements on it!" Olga exclaimed as Helga held her face in her hands.

"I have to get to school."

"Bye baby sister." Olga grabbed Helga and gave her a suffocating hug that made Helga clench her fists in anger as tightly as Olga wrapped her arms around her sister.

"Alright! Get off me! Sheesh!" Helga exclaimed, grabbing her bag as she exited the house.

Helga began her march to the bus stop, wondering if the extra hour of sleep she had gotten was worth dealing with that extra tight squeeze from her sister. As she was rounding the corner to the bus stop, another painful incident occurred. THUMP!

Helga looked up to see she had once again bumped into her beloved. "Sorry Arnold."

As Arnold held out a hand for her, he lifted an eyebrow at her apology. "Uhh are you okay?"

After rolling her eyes at the question, she replied "Well Olga's not here. Then again, we're about to watch a documentary that will try to persuade me to want to be around her."

After seeing the annoyed look on her face, Arnold wrapped his arms around her. Feeling his warm arms gently wrapped around her as he gently rubbed her back did make up for the overwhelming act Olga always seemed to be capable of causing.

Arnold kissed Helga on the cheek as he said "Just try not to think about her."

Before she could respond, their two best friends came walking over.

"Hey Arnold!" Gerald said.

"Hey Gerald."

"Ready for another fun family film Pataki?" Gerald couldn't help but tease her as Arnold watched the angry look forming in her eyes.

"Uhh Gerald, how about you and I sit together on the bus. Helga and Phoebe can sit together." Arnold suggested, looking at Helga for an approval.

"Eh, works for me."

When the bus pulled up, the boys headed towards the back while the girls kept towards the front.

"I take it something's up, or you wouldn't have missed a chance to be with your lady?" Gerald said wittingly.

"Listen, Olga's really been giving Helga a hard time lately."

"Like how? Offering to cook dinner for her?" Gerald replied.

"You know Helga can't stand the way she shows off. All it does is make her parents ignore her even more."

"I don't see how that's possible, but okay." Gerald said, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm really worried about her. I don't know what to do though. I don't know anything about this type of relationship?" Arnold sighed.

"Calm down man it's no big deal. It's natural for siblings to fight. They're not going to agree on everything. You've seen the way Jamio treats me!" Gerald pointed out.

"Yeah, but your parents don't love him more than they do you. Helga's parents give Olga special attention. They don't give Helga any attention." Arnold said sadly, staring at the floor.

"Well, at least she has you." Gerald pointed out, while the girls were up front having their own conversation.

"How was your evening Helga?"

"Fine. That is, the parts where I was able to pretend I was an only child were." she smirked.

"You know Helga, these documentaries Mr. Simmons has picked out for the class do pertain well to the situation you're in." Phoebe began to explain, as she watched her friend roll her eyes.

"Pttss...how do you figure?"

"Well, the films we'll be seeing indicate that family is what gets us through the difficult times we face in life. Perhaps all you need is to speak with your sister about the way she's been making you feel." Phoebe suggested as Helga nearly jumped out of her seat.

"Phoebe are you ill? You of all people know how screwed up my home life is! What makes you think for even a second that whatever I said to her would sink into that thick headed, self absorbed skull of hers? Sheesh!" Helga scowled, amazed at the idea of her best friend thinking her family problem was fixable.

When the bus pulled up at PS 118, the kids got off and headed for the door. Rather than heading straight for class, Arnold watched Helga stop by her locker.

Helga leaned her head against the cold metal with her eyes shut, taking a deep breath as she thought to herself _Crimity! Why can't I just die?_

As she was wishing this, she felt a set of warm arms being wrapped around her and someone whispering in her ear "Everything's going to be okay."

Helga turned to face her beloved, giving him a weak smile. As he held her hand, watching the weak smile form on her face, he said "Let's get to class."

The two walked in together as they listened to their friends rambling about the previous movie they had been forced to watch.

"Can you believe the names they gave to those actors in that film? They were worse than their outfits! Laser? I mean seriously!" Rhonda exclaimed, flipping her hair back.

"Who cares about the names. What about the WAY they had a kid?" Sid reminded them.

"I don't reckon I recall learnin' about that in our sexual education class." Stinky began scratching his head, while the other students rolled their eyes at his ignorance.

While the kids were commenting on the movie, Arnold was beginning to turn in his seat to check on Helga when he heard "Hello class! Today is going to be a very special day!"

Based on the previous movie (and the person who chose it) the class was beginning to believe him about the movie being special, although Helga had yet to believe it would have any influence whatsoever on her connection with Olga.

"Class, today we will be watching 'August: Osage County.' The death of a father brings three sisters home to their mother. This movie teaches us no matter how bad things get, they can always get worse. A wonderful reason to be grateful for the lives you currently possess."

 _Crimity! Please just kill me now!_ Helga thought to herself as she listened to these words. Why should she be grateful for being ignored by everyone other than her show off sibling?

Arnold sat in his desk, watching the depressing situations which took place between the actors as he thought to himself _I don't think this is encouraging Helga to think positively of her relationship with Olga._

Once the movie ended, it was time for lunch. Arnold turned to see the depressing look remaining on his girlfriend's face.

"Ready to eat?" he asked, holding out his hand for her.

"I guess." she sighed, taking it in hers.

Arnold wasn't sure what he could do to snap her out of this phase, Olga wasn't going anywhere and it wasn't likely she'd be changing her annoying, show off ways.

When the two of them entered the cafeteria, Arnold walked Helga over to sit with Gerald and Phoebe. "I'll be back. I'm going to get us something to eat."

As Phoebe watched her friend lean over the table, drumming her fingers against it, she asked "What did you think of the documentary Helga?"

Rolling her eyes at what she considered to be a ridiculous question, Helga replied "Those actors don't know how lucky they were."

Moments later, Arnold came back with his and Helga's lunch. Handing her some tapioca pudding, he asked "Is there anything special you'd like to do after school?"

"Special? Who are you, Simmons?" Gerald asked wittingly as Arnold rolled his eyes at the remark.

Helga shrugged her shoulders, staring down at the dessert cup. "I don't know. I'll probably just go home and work on my homework. It's not like I won't end up seeing Olga eventually." Helga sighed, not bothering to make eye contact with her boyfriend.

Arnold's eyes widened at her response as Gerald shook his head. "Mm, mm, mmm! Talk about surrendering."

When the bell rang for class, the four of them cleared their trays as Arnold watched Helga carry a defeated look down the hallway. He hadn't seen her looking that down since the day she drank Madam Blanch's love potion.

Once the day ended, Arnold turned to his girlfriend and asked "Are you sure you don't want to do anything?"

Staring at the ground, she replied "No, I need to get my homework done before Olga gets home and starts bugging me in between every five minutes of it."

"Can I at least walk you home?" Arnold asked, looking at her with pleading eyes.

"Sure."

The two of them held hands out the school as Arnold heard a deep sigh release from her. "Helga, you can't keep letting her get to you like this. You used to really annoy me, but I didn't let it ruin my life."

Helga began to grit her teeth, annoyed by the fact that someone without any siblings would have the audacity to tell her how she should feel about hers. Especially if they didn't have any that were perfect.

"What do you know football head?!"

"I want you to be happy Helga. I think you may be overreacting a bit." Arnold sighed.

Making it to her house, Helga snatched her hand away and marched up her porch steps.

"Helga wait!"

Rather than responding, she slammed the door in his face. As she went upstairs to her room, she plopped down on her bed, throwing a pillow over her face. _Crimity! Why do I have to have such a crappy home life that always manages to get in the way of my love life?_

As Helga continued to lay there in that position, she nearly fell asleep when she heard a loud knock at the door.

"Baby sister!"

 _Crimity!_ Helga thought to herself as she tossed the pillow aside.

"WHAT?!"

"Would you like to come downstairs and bake my lemon souffle with me now?"

Clenching her fists, digging her nails into her skin, she groaned "NO!"

Helga then sat up to pull out her homework. As boring as a sheet of math problems was, it was nice having something to take her mind off her sister.

After a few hours had past, Helga was getting ready for bed. As she was getting under the covers in her purple nightgown, thankful she hadn't heard from Olga within the past hour, she heard her phone beep.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier. I hope your night wasn't too bad. I love you."

Helga smiled at the idea of Arnold always wanting to do the right thing. He just couldn't go a day without trying to make things right between everyone.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Suspended

Helga wasn't sure how many more 'family lessons' she could take. By the time Thursday came, she was at the end of her rope. The only good thing about yesterday's movie 'Invisible Sister' was the idea of not being able to see Olga.

"Class, today, we'll be watching 'Happy Christmas' which reminds us to put up with our families, even when they're not acting so pleasant." Mr. Simmons excitedly explained while Helga sat in her desk holding her head.

Watching the immature party girl who moved in with her brother's family in the movie reminded Helga of the insanity she felt every time Olga came home for a visit; only this time she was here to stay.

When the bell rang, Phoebe, Gerald and Arnold all looked over to see Helga with her face planted in her hands, rubbing her eyes viciously.

"Are you alright Helga? You don't appear to be well." Phoebe questioned.

Arnold placed a hand on her shoulder, as he waited for her to remove her hands from her face.

"I think you'll feel better once you eat something." he insisted, while she began to stand up, knowing her stomach didn't have anything to do with why she was feeling the way she was.

When the four of them entered the cafeteria, they saw Principal Wartz standing in the lunch line.

"What's he doing over there?" Gerald asked.

"I think they're serving pistachios today. You know those are his favorite." Arnold reminded him, while Helga paid no attention to the conversation.

As she headed for the table, she slipped on a soda can left by a student who missed the trash can when aiming for it.

"Whoa!" Helga yelled, hoping to catch her balance. Rather than doing so, she fell to the ground and heard half the cafeteria laughing at her.

"HAHAHA Look everybody! Helga slipped on a stupid soda can!" Harold screamed.

As Arnold was helping her up, Helga didn't take her angry eyes off Harold for a second. The rage which had built up inside her all week from dealing with her sister and everything in school pertaining to her relationship with Olga had turned her into a ticking time bomb. Finally, someone had set her off!

"Helga wait!" Arnold screamed as he saw her march towards Harold, knowing what she was about to do.

Helga grabbed his shirt as she screamed "Listen you big tub of lard, if you EVER make fun of me like that again…."

Before Helga could finish her threat, the cafeteria was interrupted by another voice. "Ms. Pataki, what do you think you're doing?"

Helga set Harold down as she turned to face the direction of the voice calling her name.

"Ms. Pataki, threatening to physically harm another student is in clear violation of the schools safety policy. I'm afraid I've no choice but to suspend you for a day." Principal Wartz pointed a finger at her as Arnold's eyes widened.

Helga clenched her fists with rage as she stomped out of the cafeteria, past her boyfriend and the rest of their classmates.

"Mm, mm, mmm! First a weeks worth of drama films and now a live performance of it!" Gerald shook his head as Arnold stood and sighed.

After sulking at the idea of his girlfriend being kicked out of school, Arnold took a seat at the table with Gerald and Phoebe.

"Don't worry Arnold, Helga will be alright." Phoebe assured him.

"I don't know. Olga's not just visiting; she lives with them now. I don't know how much more of this Helga can take."

"Helga has always struggled with her family. What Olga doesn't realize is that while she does give her sister the loving attention a sibling deserves, she lacks the ability to do it without finding a way to include her many accomplishments." Phoebe explained.

"I wonder if there's a way to explain this to Olga." Arnold thought out loud, while Gerald lifted an eyebrow.

"Arnold, even if there was a way to make it happen, what makes you think Helga would go for it? I think that girl's had about all she can take of her sibling." Gerald insisted.

Meanwhile, Helga was sitting on the pier by the docks like she did when she was usually feeling down. Whenever she needed time to think, she would come and be alone with her thoughts, knowing she'd never have to worry about being bothered by her family there.

 _I can't believe I got myself suspended. Crimity! What's wrong with me? Why can't I get along with Olga? Because she bugs the living heck out of me! Her and her unnecessary need to show off in every imaginary way possible! Sheesh!_

As Helga was pondering her thoughts, she heard her phone beep.

"Where are you? I want to see you!"

Helga smiled weakly at the text, although wasn't sure if she should respond to it. She wasn't in any better of a mood than she had been all week. Why would Arnold want to see her? If he was just coming to tell her to cheer up, he was wasting his time.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me."

Arnold sighed at these words. He wanted to see her whether she needed him or not. He didn't spend time with her only if he felt like she needed him.

"Helga, I want to talk to you. Just tell me where you are."

"Fine football head. I'm at the pier. Sheesh!"

Not long after that, while Helga was continuing to sit and stare at her reflection in the water, she saw someone else's reflection appear.

"Arnold!"

"Hey Helga."

"Stop creeping up on me!" she snapped, seeing him roll his eyes as he sat down beside her.

Wrapping his arm around her, he asked "Are you okay? I know this hasn't been an easy week for you."

"Pttss...ya think?" she scoffed, as he began to rub her arm.

"I know you two don't get along Helga. Gerald doesn't get along with either of his siblings." Arnold pointed out, hoping to make her feel better.

Rolling her eyes at his attempt to make her feel better, she asked "Do his parents give his siblings special attention and make him feel like a huge screw up?"

Arnold sighed as he continued to rub her arm. "No, but Olga loves you Helga. She just needs help figuring out the right way to show it. Your parents have given her so much attention, she doesn't know how to pay you any without uhh...showing off."

"So what? I'm just supposed to let her hang around me, listen to her brag about whatever the heck she wants and let her assume that's what bonding is?" Helga scoffed.

"No. Maybe you could just let her know when she's taking things to far." he suggested as she began to jump from her seat.

"Arnold! What the heck do you think I've been doing all my life? My family doesn't listen to me! They've never cared about me! What makes you think telling her to bring that A+ personality of hers down to an A - would work?" she scowled as he stood beside her with concerned eyes.

Taking her hands in his, he softly said "Helga, you can't keep letting her make you this miserable. It makes me miserable to see you this way."

The two stood there silently with the sound of the water rushing beneath them. Arnold looked at her sad eyes as he put a hand to her face and said "I know how strong you are. Are you really going to let Olga Pataki beat Helga G. Pataki?"

Helga blushed at his joke, knowing how proud she always made herself out to be for having that name.

Looking at her weak smile, he pulled her in to kiss her sweet lips. As the two stood there, breathing gently against each other, Arnold thought to himself _I've got to think of a way to fix things for her._

When their lips parted, Arnold leaned his head against his girlfriend's with their fingers laced together. As the sad thought of not being able to see her at school with him tomorrow entered his mind, he managed to say "We should get you home. It's getting late."

The two of them walked hand in hand down the street. Arnold watched Helga look up at what little stars were in the sky until she looked down to feel him rubbing her hand. When they made it to her house, he said "Good night. Enjoy your day off tomorrow...even though you're suspended."

Rolling her eyes at his sad attempt to find a bright side in that scenario, she replied "Enjoy your last fun family film. Despite the fact that you'll be in school, I think I've still got it worse."

"Whatever you say Helga." he sighed, kissing her good night.

As he watched her enter the house, he began his lonely walk back to the boarding house. Staring at the ground with his hands in his pockets, he wondered how crazy Olga would drive her tomorrow.

When Arnold made it home, he opened the door to watch the parade of animals pour past him. As he past the kitchen, he heard...

"That you shortman?"

"Hey grandpa."

"Hey, what's eatin' ya?"

"Helga got suspended today?"

"Ooh, how'd that happen? She extra cranky? Hehe."

"Remember how I told you her sister's been getting on her nerves? Well, all the family films we've been watching this week kind of set her over the edge. Then when Harold made fun of her for tripping in the cafeteria, she threatened to pound him."

"Hehe...sounds like she found herself a brother to pick on!"

"Grandpa…"

"Oh I'm just messin' with ya shortman."

"What am I supposed to do? I don't want to see her like this every day."

"They're sisters shortman! Unless she feels like issuing a restraining order, there's no hope!"

"Thanks grandpa."

Arnold walked away to sit outside a moment. As he stared at the ground, he thought about how all those films Mr. Simmons forced the class to watch had valid points behind them. This gave him an idea.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: It Was All For You

The next morning, Helga awoke not to an alarm or a screaming sibling, but to the sunlight shining through her window. As she rubbed her eyes, she looked over at her clock to see it was almost 9 am. _Crimity! I can't believe Ms. Mary Sunshine hasn't said anything to me!_

After getting dressed, Helga went downstairs to the kitchen to pour herself some cereal. As she was about to grab a bowl, she heard "Good morning baby sister!"

"Crimity!" Helga gasped, not expecting Olga to be behind her.

"I've got some yummy doughnuts for breakfast that Arnold was nice enough to bring by!" Olga showed her as Helga's eyes widened.

"Arnold? What did he do that for?" she asked, cocking her brow.

"He wanted to make sure you and I had a fun day together!" Olga screamed excitedly.

 _Pttss… of course!_

"Which is why he also brought by this movie for us to watch!"

Helga reached for the tape to see it was a movie called 'Pleasantville.'

"What the heck is it?" she scoffed, reaching for a doughnut.

"I believe it's about two siblings who are zapped into a television show together! Isn't that wonderful!" Olga screeched as Helga rolled her eyes.

 _Crimity! I'm going to kill that stupid football head!_

"What are we waiting for baby sister?! Let's go watch it!" Olga exclaimed, pulling Helga into the living room.

"Alright, alright! Sheesh!" Helga scowled as she sat on the couch with her arms and legs crossed, wondering how awful this would be.

Twenty minutes into the movie, Olga asked "Would you like me to get you a drink baby sister?"

Helga shrugged her shoulders at the offer. As long as Olga didn't come up with a way to take credit for making it, she was willing to let her do it.

Another twenty minutes into the movie, Helga was easily beginning to notice the excitement in Olga's eyes.

"Oh! Oh! They've had such an incredible influence on everybody in their show!"

 _Oh brother…_ Helga sighed, wondering what Arnold could have been thinking would change between them. As she stared off into space, she heard Olga say "I love having an influence on people. I always hoped I would be a good influence on you baby sister!"

Helga turned to face her older sister as she cocked her brow and asked "You did?"

"Oh yes! I was so excited when mommy and daddy told me they were having you! I decided right away I would do everything I could do be the best role model for my baby sister!" Olga exclaimed.

Helga sat there a moment wondering if Olga's perfect performance all these years had really all just been for her. Whether or not it was true, it was still a sweet thing to here.

By the end of the movie, Helga was actually happy to have shared some quality time with her sister.

"Oh that was so wonderful! Do you want me to teach you to bake my famous lemon souffle now?!" Olga screeched.

Helga rolled her eyes at her overly enthusiastic sister. After hearing her sweet words about her hard work over the years being for her, she felt the least she could do was put up with Olga's boasting.

"Eh, why not?"

"Oh goody!"

A few hours later, after they had cooked and eaten it, Helga sat in the living room thinking to herself _This day hasn't been so bad. Guess football head knew what he was doing._

No sooner had she thought that, she heard a knock at the door. Helga opened the door to see her boyfriend standing there, anxious to see her.

"Hey Helga. How was your day?"

"Eh, not bad. How about you? Does Pink boy know I'm coming for him on Monday?" she asked, as she stepped outside.

"Uhh maybe. So, did you and your sister like the movie?"

"It wasn't too bad. Ms. Perfect was actually tolerable." Helga scoffed as she and Arnold took a seat on the steps.

"I thought that movie might help."

"What made you think that?"

"It's supposed to send the message that even if you don't get along with your family now, one day you might. In other words, there's always hope for something." Arnold explained, taking her hand in his.

"You are such a football head." she scoffed, rolling her eyes at his optimism.

"Whatever you say Helga." he sighed, pulling her in for a lingering kiss. Knowing her problems were taken care of made him just as happy as it did her. Perhaps even more.

 _ **THE END**_

 _ **THANKS FOR READING**_

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW**_


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